Tailings Management in Canada's Oil Sands

Tailings management practices in the Canadian oil sands industry over the last four decades have resulted in massive inventories of fluid fine tailings (850 million m3) requiring long term storage within fluid containment structures. Managing these fluid tailings has become a significant environmental challenge. In lieu of tailings management regulations set forth through the Alberta Government and increased public awareness, industry has stepped up efforts to improve their tailings management practices. These initiatives aim to transform the fluid fine tailings into sustainable components of a reclaimable, closure landscape. The paper will outline the historic oil sand tailings management practices, the geotechnical challenges associated with current and planned tailings dewatering technologies, and the research initiatives underway at the University of Alberta aimed at resolving these geotechnical challenges.